Vocabulary Flashcards
abase
abase
(v.)
to humiliate, degrade
(After being overthrown and abased, the deposed
leader offered to bow down to his conqueror.)
abate
abate
(v.)
to reduce, lessen
(The rain poured down for a while, then abated.)
aberration
aberration (n.) something that differs from the norm (In 1918, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, but the success turned out to be an aberration, and the Red Sox have not won a World Series since.)
abject
abject (adj.) wretched, pitiful (After losing all her money, falling into a puddle, and breaking her ankle, Eloise was abject.)
abjure
abjure (v.) to reject, renounce (To prove his honesty, the President abjured the evil policies of his wicked predecessor.)
abnegation
abnegation
(n.)
denial of comfort to oneself
(The holy man slept on the floor, took only
cold showers, and generally followed other practices of abnegation.)
abridge
abridge
1.
(v.)
to cut down, shorten
(The publisher thought the dictionary was too long
and abridged it.)
2.
(adj.)
shortened
(Moby-Dick is such a long book that even the
abridged version is longer than most normal books.)
abrogate
abrogate (v.) to abolish, usually by authority (The Bill of Rights assures that the government cannot abrogate our right to a free press.)
abscond
abscond (v.) to sneak away and hide (In the confusion, the super-spy absconded into the night with the secret plans.)
abstruse
abstruse
(adj.)
hard to comprehend
(Everyone else in the class understood geometry
easily, but John found the subject abstruse.)
accede
accede
(v.)
to agree
(When the class asked the teacher whether they could play baseball
instead of learn grammar they expected him to refuse, but instead he acceded to
their request.)
accolade
accolade (n.) high praise, special distinction (Everyone offered accolades to Sam after he won the Noble Prize.)
accost
accost
(v.)
to confront verbally
(Though Antoinette was normally quite calm, when the
waiter spilled soup on her for the fourth time in 15 minutes she stood up and accosted
the man.)
accretion
accretion (n.) slow growth in size or amount (Stalactites are formed by the accretion of minerals from the roofs of caves.)
acerbic
acerbic (adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste (Jill became extremely acerbic and began to cruelly make fun of all her friends.)
acquiesce
acquiesce
(v.)
to agree without protesting
(Though Mr. Correlli wanted to stay outside
and work in his garage, when his wife told him that he had better come in to dinner,
he acquiesced to her demands.)
acrimony
acrimony
(n.)
bitterness, discord
(Though they vowed that no girl would ever come
between them, Biff and Trevor could not keep acrimony from overwhelming their
friendship after they both fell in love with the lovely Teresa.)
acumen
acumen
(n.)
keen insight
(Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to figure
out in minutes problems that took other students hours.)
adroit
adroit (adj.) skillful, dexterous (The adroit thief could pick someone’s pocket without attracting notice.)
adulation
adulation (n.) extreme praise (Though the book was pretty good, Marcy did not believe it deserved the adulation it received.)
adumbrate
adumbrate (v.) to sketch out in a vague way (The coach adumbrated a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do.)
affable
affable (adj.) friendly, amiable (People like to be around George because he is so affable
and good-natured.)
affront
affront (n.) an insult (Bernardo was very touchy, and took any slight as an affront to his
honor.)
aggrandize
aggrandize (v.) to increase or make greater (Joseph always dropped the names of the
famous people his father knew as a way to aggrandize his personal stature.)
aggregate
aggregate 1. (n.) a whole or total (The three branches of the U.S. Government form an
aggregate much more powerful than its individual parts.) 2. (v.) to gather into a
mass (The dictator tried to aggregate as many people into his army as he possibly
could.)
aggrieved
aggrieved (adj.) distressed, wronged, injured (The foreman mercilessly overworked his
aggrieved employees.)
alacrity
alacrity (n.) eagerness, speed (For some reason, Chuck loved to help his mother
whenever he could, so when his mother asked him to set the table he did so with
alacrity.)
allay
allay (v.) to soothe, ease (The chairman of the Federal Reserve gave a speech to try to
allay investors’ fears about an economic downturn.)
aloof
aloof (adj.) reserved, distant (The scientist could sometimes seem aloof, as if he didn’t
care about his friends or family, but really he was just thinking about quantum
mechanics.)
amalgamate
amalgamate (v.) to bring together, unite (Because of his great charisma, the presidential
candidate was able to amalgamate all democrats and republicans under his banner.)
ambiguous
ambiguous (adj.) uncertain, variably interpretable (Some people think Caesar married
Cleopatra for her power, others believe he was charmed by her beauty. His actual
reasons are ambiguous.)
ambivalent
ambivalent (adj.) having opposing feelings (My feelings about Calvin are ambivalent
because on one hand he is a loyal friend, but on the other, he is a cruel and vicious
thief.)
amorous
amorous (adj.) showing love, particularly sexual (Whenever Albert saw Mariah wear
her slinky red dress, he began to feel quite amorous.)
amorphous
amorphous (adj.) without definite shape or type (The effort was doomed from the start,
because the reasons behind it were so amorphous and hard to pin down.)
anachronistic
anachronistic (adj.) being out of correct chronological order (In this book you’re
writing, you say that the Pyramids were built after the Titanic sank, which is
anachronistic.)
analgesic
analgesic (n.) something that reduces pain (Put this analgesic on the wound so that the
poor man at least feels a little better.)
analogous
analogous (adj.) similar to, so that an analogy can be drawn (Though they are unrelated
genetically, the bone structure of whales and fish is quite analogous.)
anathema
anathema (n.) a cursed, detested person (I never want to see that murderer. He is an
anathema to me.)
anecdote
anecdote (n.) a short, humorous account (After dinner, Marlon told an anecdote about
the time he got his nose stuck in a toaster.)
anomaly
anomaly (n.) something that does not fit into the normal order (“That rip in the spacetime
continuum is certainly a spatial anomaly,” said Spock to Captain Kirk.)
antagonism
antagonism (n.) hostility (Superman and Bizarro Superman shared a mutual
antagonism, and often fought.)
antediluvian
antediluvian (adj.) ancient (The antediluvian man still believed that Eisenhower was
president of the United States and that hot dogs cost a nickel.)
anthology
anthology (n.) a selected collection of writings, songs, etc. (The new anthology of Bob
Dylan songs contains all his greatest hits and a few songs that you might never have
heard before.)
antipathy
antipathy (n.) a strong dislike, repugnance (I know you love me, but because you are a
liar and a thief, I feel nothing but antipathy for you.)
antiquated
antiquated (adj.) old, out of date (That antiquated car has none of the features, like
power windows and steering, that make modern cars so great.)
antithesis
antithesis (n.) the absolute opposite (Your values, which hold war and violence in the
highest esteem, are the antithesis of my pacifist beliefs.)
apocryphal
apocryphal (adj.) fictitious, false, wrong (Because I am standing before you, it seems
obvious that the stories circulating about my demise were apocryphal.)
approbation
approbation (n.) praise (The crowd welcomed the heroes with approbation.)
arable
arable (adj.) suitable for growing crops (The farmer purchased a plot of arable land on
which he will grow corn and sprouts.)
arbiter
arbiter (n.) one who can resolve a dispute, make a decision (The divorce court judge
will serve as the arbiter between the estranged husband and wife.)
arbitrary
arbitrary (adj.) based on factors that appear random (The boy’s decision to choose one
college over another seems arbitrary.)
arbitration
arbitration (n.) the process or act of resolving a dispute (The employee sought official
arbitration when he could not resolve a disagreement with his supervisor.)
arboreal
arboreal (adj.) of or relating to trees (Leaves, roots, and bark are a few arboreal traits.)
arcane
arcane (adj.) obscure, secret, known only by a few (The professor is an expert in arcane
Lithuanian literature.)
archaic
archaic (adj.) of or relating to an earlier period in time, outdated (In a few select regions
of Western Mongolian, an archaic Chinese dialect is still spoken.)
archetypal
archetypal (adj.) the most representative or typical example of something (Some
believe George Washington, with his flowing white hair and commanding stature,
was the archetypal politician.)
ardor
ardor (n.) extreme vigor, energy, enthusiasm (The soldiers conveyed their ardor with
impassioned battle cries.)
arid
arid (adj.) excessively dry (Little other than palm trees and cacti grow successfully in
arid environments.)
arrogate
arrogate (v.) to take without justification (The king arrogated the right to order
executions to himself exclusively.)
ascertain
ascertain (v.) to perceive, learn (With a bit of research, the student ascertained that
some plants can live for weeks without water.)
ascetic
ascetic (adj.) practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious (The
priest lives an ascetic life devoid of television, savory foods, and other pleasures.)
ascribe
ascribe (v.) to assign, credit, attribute to (Some ascribe the invention of fireworks and
dynamite to the Chinese.)
aspersion
aspersion (n.) a curse, expression of ill-will (The rival politicians repeatedly cast
aspersions on each others’ integrity.)
assail
assail (v.) to attack (At dawn, the war planes assailed the boats in the harbor.)
assiduous
assiduous (adj.) hard-working, diligent (The construction workers erected the
skyscraper during two years of assiduous labor.)
assuage
assuage (v.) to ease, pacify (The mother held the baby to assuage its fears.)
astute
astute (adj.) very clever, crafty (Much of Roger’s success in politics results from his
ability to provide astute answers to reporters’ questions.)
atrophy
atrophy (v.) to wither away, decay (If muscles do not receive enough blood, they will
soon atrophy and die.)
audacious
audacious (adj.) excessively bold (The security guard was shocked by the fan’s
audacious attempt to offer him a bribe.)
augment
augment (v.) to add to, expand (The eager student seeks to augment his knowledge of
French vocabulary by reading French literature.)
auspicious
auspicious (adj.) favorable, indicative of good things (The tennis player considered the
sunny forecast an auspicious sign that she would win her match.)
austere
austere (adj.) very bare, bleak (The austere furniture inside the abandoned house made
the place feel haunted.)
avarice
avarice (n.) excessive greed (The banker’s avarice led him to amass a tremendous
personal fortune.)
balk
balk (v.) to stop, block abruptly (Edna’s boss balked at her request for another raise.)
banal
banal (adj.) dull, commonplace (The client rejected our proposal because they found
our presentation banal and unimpressive.)
bane
bane (n.) a burden (Advanced physics is the bane of many students’ academic lives.)
bard
bard (n.) a poet, often a singer as well (Shakespeare is often considered the greatest bard
in the history of the English language.)
bashful
bashful (adj.) shy, excessively timid (Frankie’s mother told him not to be bashful when
he refused to attend the birthday party.)
beguile
beguile (v.) to trick, deceive (The thief beguiled his partners into surrendering all of
their money to him.)
behemoth
behemoth (n.) something of tremendous power or size (The new aircraft carrier is
among several behemoths that the Air Force has added to its fleet.)
benign
benign (adj.) favorable, not threatening, mild (We were all relieved to hear that the
medical tests determined her tumor to be benign.)
bequeath
bequeath (v.) to pass on, give (Jon’s father bequeathed his entire estate to his mother.)
berate
berate (v.) to scold vehemently (The angry boss berated his employees for failing to
meet their deadline.)
bereft
bereft (adj.) devoid of, without (His family was bereft of food and shelter following the
tornado.)
bilk
bilk (v.) cheat, defraud (The lawyer discovered that this firm had bilked several clients
out of thousands of dollars.)
blandish
blandish (v.) to coax by using flattery (Rachel’s assistant tried to blandish her into
accepting the deal.)
blight
blight 1. (n.) a plague, disease (The potato blight destroyed the harvest and bankrupted
many families.) 2. (n.) something that destroys hope (His bad morale is a blight
upon this entire operation.)
brusque
brusque (adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive (The captain’s brusque manner offended the
passengers.)
buffet
buffet 1. (v.) to strike with force (The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening to
capsize them.) 2. (n.) an arrangement of food set out on a table (Rather than sitting
around a table, the guests took food from our buffet and ate standing up.)
burnish
burnish (v.) to polish, shine (His mother asked him to burnish the silverware before
setting the table.)
buttress
buttress 1. (v.) to support, hold up (The column buttresses the roof above the statue.) 2.
(n.) something that offers support (The buttress supports the roof above the statues.)
cacophony
cacophony (n.) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound (The elementary school
orchestra created a cacophony at the recital.)
cajole
cajole (v.) to urge, coax (Fred’s buddies cajoled him into attending the bachelor party.)
callous
callous (adj.) harsh, cold, unfeeling (The murderer’s callous lack of remorse shocked the
jury.)
calumny
calumny (n.) an attempt to spoil someone else’s reputation by spreading lies (The local
official’s calumny ended up ruining his opponent’s prospect of winning the election.)
candor
candor (n.) honesty, frankness (We were surprised by the candor of the mayor’s speech
because he is usually rather evasive.)
canny
canny (adj.) shrewd, careful (The canny runner hung at the back of the pack through
much of the race to watch the other runners, and then sprinted past them at the end.)
capacious
capacious (adj.) very spacious (The workers delighted in their new capacious office
space.)
capitulate
capitulate (v.) to surrender (The army finally capitulated after fighting a long costly
battle.)
capricious
capricious (adj.) subject to whim, fickle (The young girl’s capricious tendencies made it
difficult for her to focus on achieving her goals.)
carouse
carouse (v.) to party, celebrate (We caroused all night after getting married.)
carp
carp (v.) to annoy, pester (The husband divorced his wife after listening to her carping
voice for decades.)
caucus
caucus (n.) a meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal (The
ironworkers held a caucus to determine how much of a pay increase they would
request.)
caustic
caustic (adj.) bitter, biting, acidic (The politicians exchanged caustic insults for over an
hour during the debate.)
cavort
cavort (v.) to leap about, behave boisterously (The adults ate their dinners on the patio,
while the children cavorted around the pool.)
censure
censure 1. (n.) harsh criticism (The frustrated teenager could not put up with anymore
of her critical mother’s censure.) 2. (v.) to rebuke formally (The principal censured
the head of the English Department for forcing students to learn esoteric
vocabulary.)
cerebral
cerebral (adj.) related to the intellect (The books we read in this class are too cerebral— they don’t engage my emotions at all.)
chastise
chastise (v.) to criticize severely (After being chastised by her peers for mimicking
Britney Spears, Miranda dyed her hair black and affected a Gothic style.)
clairvoyant
clairvoyant (adj.) able to perceive things that normal people cannot (Zelda’s uncanny
ability to detect my lies was nothing short of clairvoyant.)
clandestine
clandestine (adj.) secret (Announcing to her boyfriend that she was going to the gym,
Sophie actually went to meet Joseph for a clandestine liaison.)
cleave
cleave 1. (v.) to divide into parts (Following the scandalous disgrace of their leader, the
entire political party cleaved into warring factions.) 2. (v.) to stick together firmly
(After resolving their marital problems, Junior and Rosa cleaved to one another all
the more tightly.)
cloying
cloying (adj.) sickeningly sweet (Though Ronald was physically attractive, Maud
found his constant compliments and solicitous remarks cloying.)
coagulate
coagulate (v.) to thicken, clot (The top layer of the pudding had coagulated into a thick
skin.)
coalesce
coalesce (v.) to fuse into a whole (Gordon’s ensemble of thrift-shop garments coalesced
into a surprisingly handsome outfit.)
cobbler
cobbler (n.) a person who makes or repairs shoes (I had my neighborhood cobbler
replace my worn-out leather soles with new ones.)
coerce
coerce (v.) to make somebody do something by force or threat (The court decided that
Vanilla Ice did not have to honor the contract because he had been coerced into
signing it.)
cogent
cogent (adj.) intellectually convincing (Irene’s arguments in favor of abstinence were so
cogent that I could not resist them.)
cognizant
cognizant (adj.) aware, mindful (Jake avoided speaking to women in bars because he
was cognizant of the fact that drinking impairs his judgment.)
coherent
coherent (adj.) logically consistent, intelligible (Renee could not figure out what
Monroe had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement.)
colloquial
colloquial (adj.) characteristic of informal conversation (Adam’s essay on sexual
response in primates was marked down because it contained too many colloquial
expressions.)
collusion
collusion (n.) secret agreement, conspiracy (The three law students worked in collusion
to steal the final exam.)
colossus
colossus (n.) a gigantic statue or thing (For 56 years, the ancient city of Rhodes featured
a colossus standing astride its harbor.)
combustion
combustion (n.) the act or process of burning (The unexpected combustion of the
prosecution’s evidence forced the judge to dismiss the case against Ramirez.)
commensurate
commensurate (adj.) corresponding in size or amount (Ahab selected a very long roll
and proceeded to prepare a tuna salad sandwich commensurate with his enormous
appetite.)
commodious
commodious(adj.) roomy (Holden invited the three women to join him in the back seat
of the taxicab, assuring them that the car was quite commodious.)
Same as CAPRICIOUS
compunction
compunction (n.) distress caused by feeling guilty (He felt compunction for the shabby
way he’d treated her.)
conciliatory
conciliatory (adj.) friendly, agreeable (I took Amanda’s invitation to dinner as a very
conciliatory gesture.)
concoct
concoct (v.) to fabricate, make up (She concocted the most ridiculous story to explain her
absence.)
concomitant
concomitant (adj.) accompanying in a subordinate fashion (His dislike of hard work
carried with it a concomitant lack of funds.)
concord
concord (n.) harmonious agreement (Julie and Harold began the evening with a
disagreement, but ended it in a state of perfect concord.)
confidant
confidant (n.) a person entrusted with secrets (Shortly after we met, she became my
chief confidant.)
conflagration
conflagration (n.) great fire (The conflagration consumed the entire building.)
confluence
confluence (n.) a gathering together (A confluence of different factors made tonight the
perfect night.)
confound
confound (v.) to frustrate, confuse (MacGuyver confounded the policemen pursuing
him by covering his tracks.)
congeal
congeal (v.) to thicken into a solid (The sauce had congealed into a thick paste.)
congruity
congruity (n.) the quality of being in agreement (Bill and Veronica achieved a perfect
congruity of opinion.)
connive
connive (v.) to plot, scheme (She connived to get me to give up my vacation plans.)
consonant
consonant (adj.) in harmony (The singers’ consonant voices were beautiful.)
construe
construe (v.) to interpret (He construed her throwing his clothes out the window as a
signal that she wanted him to leave.)
contemporaneous
contemporaneous (adj.) existing during the same time (Though her novels do not
feature the themes of Romanticism, Jane Austen’s work was contemporaneous with
that of Wordsworth and Byron.)
contentious
contentious (adj.) having a tendency to quarrel or dispute (George’s contentious
personality made him unpopular with his classmates.)
contusion
contusion (n.) bruise, injury (The contusions on his face suggested he’d been in a fight.)
convivial
convivial (adj.) characterized by feasting, drinking, merriment (The restaurant’s
convivial atmosphere put me immediately at ease.)
corpulence
corpulence (adj.)extreme fatness (Henry’s corpulence did not make him any less
attractive to his charming, svelte wife.)
corroborate
corroborate (v.) to support with evidence (Luke’s seemingly outrageous claim was
corroborated by witnesses.)
covet
covet (v.) to desire enviously (I coveted Moses’s house, wife, and car.)
credulity
credulity (n.) readiness to believe (His credulity made him an easy target for con men.)
culpable
culpable (adj.) deserving blame (He was culpable of the crime, and was sentenced to
perform community service for 75 years.)
cunning
cunning (adj.) sly, clever at being deceitful (The general devised a cunning plan to
surprise the enemy.)
cupidity
cupidity (n.) greed, strong desire (His cupidity made him enter the abandoned gold
mine despite the obvious dangers.)
cursory
cursory (adj.) brief to the point of being superficial (Late for the meeting, she cast a
cursory glance at the agenda.)
curt
curt (adj.) abruptly and rudely short (Her curt reply to my question made me realize
that she was upset at me.)
curtail
curtail (v.) to lessen, reduce (Since losing his job, he had to curtail his spending.)
dearth
dearth (n.) a lack, scarcity (An eager reader, she was dismayed by the dearth of classic
books at the library.)
debacle
debacle (n.) a disastrous failure, disruption (The elaborately designed fireworks show
turned into a debacle when the fireworks started firing in random directions.)
debase
debase (v.) to lower the quality or esteem of something (The large raise that he gave
himself debased his motives for running the charity.)
debauch
debauch (v.) to corrupt by means of sensual pleasures (An endless amount of good wine
and cheese debauched the traveler.)
debunk
debunk (v.) to expose the falseness of something (He debunked her claim to be the
world’s greatest chess player by defeating her in 18 consecutive matches.)
decorous
decorous (adj.) socially proper, appropriate (The appreciative guest displayed decorous
behavior toward his host.)
decry
decry (v.) to criticize openly (The kind video rental clerk decried the policy of charging
customers late fees.)
deface
deface (v.) to ruin or injure something’s appearance (The brothers used eggs and
shaving cream to deface their neighbor’s mailbox.)
defamatory
defamatory (adj.) harmful toward another’s reputation (The defamatory gossip
spreading about the actor made the public less willing to see the actor’s new movie.)
deferential
deferential (adj.) showing respect for another’s authority (His deferential attitude
toward her made her more confident in her ability to run the company.)
deft
deft (adj.) skillful, capable (Having worked in a bakery for many years, Marcus was a
deft bread maker.)
defunct
defunct (adj.) no longer used or existing (They planned to turn the defunct schoolhouse
into a community center.)
deleterious
deleterious (adj.) harmful (She experienced the deleterious effects of running a
marathon without stretching her muscles enough beforehand.)
delineate
delineate (v.) to describe, outline, shed light on (She neatly delineated her reasons for
canceling the project’s funding.)
demagogue
demagogue (n.) a leader who appeals to a people’s prejudices (The demagogue
strengthened his hold over his people by blaming immigrants for the lack of jobs.)
denigrate
denigrate (v.) to belittle, diminish the opinion of (The company decided that its
advertisements would no longer denigrate the company’s competitors.)
deplore
deplore (v.) to feel or express sorrow, disapproval (We all deplored the miserable
working conditions in the factory.)
depravity
depravity (n.) wickedness (Rumors of the ogre’s depravity made the children afraid to
enter the forest.)
deprecate
deprecate (v.) to belittle, depreciate (Always over-modest, he deprecated his
contribution to the local charity.)
derelict
derelict (adj.) abandoned, run-down (Even though it was dangerous, the children
enjoyed going to the deserted lot and playing in the derelict house.)
deride
deride (v.) to laugh at mockingly, scorn (The bullies derided the foreign student’s
accent.)
desecrate
desecrate (v.) to violate the sacredness of a thing or place (They feared that the
construction of a golf course would desecrate the preserved wilderness.)
desiccated
desiccated (adj.) dried up, dehydrated (The skin of the desiccated mummy looked like
old paper.)
despondent
despondent (adj.) feeling depressed, discouraged, hopeless (Having failed the first
math test, the despondent child saw no use in studying for the next and failed that
one too.)
despot
despot (n.) one who has total power and rules brutally (The despot issued a death
sentence for anyone who disobeyed his laws.)
destitute
destitute (adj.) impoverished, utterly lacking (The hurricane destroyed many homes
and left many families destitute.)
deter
deter (v.) to discourage, prevent from doing (Bob’s description of scary snakes couldn’t
deter Marcia from traveling in the rainforests.)
diaphanous
diaphanous (adj.) light, airy, transparent (Sunlight poured in through the diaphanous
curtains, brightening the room.)
diffident
diffident (adj.) shy, quiet, modest (While eating dinner with the adults, the diffident
youth did not speak for fear of seeming presumptuous.)
dilatory
dilatory (adj.) tending to delay, causing delay (The general’s dilatory strategy enabled
the enemy to regroup.)
dirge
dirge (n.) a mournful song, especially for a funeral (The bagpipers played a dirge as the
casket was carried to the cemetery.)
disaffected
disaffected (adj.) rebellious, resentful of authority (Dismayed by Bobby’s poor
behavior, the parents sent their disaffected son to a military academy to be
disciplined.)
disavow
disavow (v.) to deny knowledge of or responsibility for (Not wanting others to criticize
her, she disavowed any involvement in the company’s hiring scandal.)
discomfit
scomfit (v.) to thwart, baffle (The normally cheery and playful children’s sudden
misery discomfited the teacher.)
discordant
discordant (adj.) not agreeing, not in harmony with (The girls’ sobs were a discordant
sound amid the general laughter that filled the restaurant.)
discursive
discursive (adj.) rambling, lacking order (The professor’s discursive lectures seemed to
be about every subject except the one initially described.)
disparage
disparage (v.) to criticize or speak ill of (The saleswoman disparaged the competitor’s
products to persuade her customers to buy what she was selling.)
disparate
disparate (adj.) sharply differing, containing sharply contrasting elements (Having
widely varying interests, the students had disparate responses toward the novel.)
dispel
dispel (v.) to drive away, scatter (She entered the office as usual on Monday, dispelling
the rumor that she had been fired.)
dissent
dissent 1. (v.) to disagree (The principal argued that the child should repeat the fourth
grade, but the unhappy parents dissented.) 2. (n.) the act of disagreeing
(Unconvinced that the defendant was guilty, the last juror voiced his dissent with
the rest of the jury.)
dissipate
dissipate 1. (v.) to disappear, cause to disappear (The sun finally came out and
dissipated the haze.) 2. (v.) to waste (She dissipated her fortune on a series of bad
investments.)
dissuade
dissuade (v.) to persuade someone not to do something (Worried that he would catch a
cold, she tried to dissuade him from going out on winter nights.)
distend
distend (v.) to swell out (Years of drinking beer caused his stomach to distend.)
dither
dither (v.) to be indecisive (Not wanting to offend either friend, he dithered about
which of the two birthday parties he should attend.)
divulge
divulge (v.) to reveal something secret (Pressured by the press, the government finally
divulged the previously unknown information.)
docile
docile (adj.) easily taught or trained (She successfully taught the docile puppy several
tricks.)
dormant
dormant (adj.) sleeping, temporarily inactive (Though she pretended everything was
fine, her anger lay dormant throughout the dinner party and exploded in screams of
rage after everyone had left.)
dour
dour (adj.)stern, joyless (The children feared their dour neighbor because the old man
would take their toys if he believed they were being too loud.)
dubious
dubious (adj.) doubtful, of uncertain quality (Suspicious that he was only trying to get a
raise, she found his praise dubious.)
duplicity
duplicity (n.) crafty dishonesty (His duplicity involved convincing his employees to let
him lower their salaries and increase their stock options, and then to steal the money
he saved and run the company into the ground.)
duress
duress (n.) hardship, threat (It was only under intense duress that he, who was
normally against killing, fired his gun.)
ebullient
ebullient (adj.) extremely lively, enthusiastic (She became ebullient upon receiving an
acceptance letter from her first-choice college.)
eclectic
eclectic (adj.) consisting of a diverse variety of elements (That bar attracts an eclectic
crowd: lawyers, artists, circus clowns, and investment bankers.)
edict
edict (n.) an order, decree (The ruler issued an edict requiring all of his subjects to bow
down before him.)
efface
efface (v.) to wipe out, obliterate, rub away (The husband was so angry at his wife for
leaving him that he effaced all evidence of her presence; he threw out pictures of her
and gave away all her belongings.)
effervescent
effervescent (adj.) bubbly, lively (My friend is so effervescent that she makes everyone
smile.)
efficacious
efficacious (adj.) effective (My doctor promised me that the cold medicine was
efficacious, but I’m still sniffling.)
effrontery
effrontery (n.) impudence, nerve, insolence (When I told my aunt that she was boring,
my mother scolded me for my effrontery.)
effulgent
effulgent (adj.) radiant, splendorous (The golden palace was effulgent.)
egregious
egregious (adj.) extremely bad (The student who threw sloppy joes across the cafeteria
was punished for his egregious behavior.)
elated
elated (adj.) overjoyed, thrilled (When she found out she had won the lottery, the
writer was elated.)
elegy
elegy (n.) a speech given in honor of a dead person (At the funeral, the widow gave a
moving elegy describing her love for her husband.)
elucidate
elucidate (v.) to clarify, explain (I didn’t understand why my friend was so angry with
me, so I asked Janine to elucidate her feelings.)
elude
elude (v.) to evade, escape (Despite an intense search, the robber continues to elude the
police.)
emaciated
emaciated (adj.) very thin, enfeebled looking (My sister eats a lot of pastries and
chocolate but still looks emaciated.)
emend
emend (v.) to correct or revise a written text (If my sentence is incorrect, the editor will
emend what I have written.)
emollient
emollient (adj.) soothing (This emollient cream makes my skin very smooth.)
encumber
encumber (v.) to weigh down, burden (At the airport, my friend was encumbered by
her luggage, so I offered to carry two of her bags.)
enervate
enervate (v.) to weaken, exhaust (Writing these sentences enervates me so much that I
will have to take a nap after I finish.)
enfranchise
enfranchise (v.) to grant the vote to (The Nineteenth Amendment enfranchised
engender
engender (v.) to bring about, create, generate (During the Olympics, the victories of
U.S. athletes engender a patriotic spirit among Americans.)
enigmatic
enigmatic (adj.) mystifying, cryptic (That man wearing the dark suit and dark glasses is
so enigmatic that no one even knows his name.)
enmity
enmity (n.) ill will, hatred, hostility (Mark and Andy have clearly not forgiven each
other, because the enmity between them is obvious to anyone in their presence.)
ennui
ennui (n.) boredom, weariness (I feel such ennui that I don’t look forward to anything,
not even my birthday party.)
enthrall
enthrall (v.) to charm, hold spellbound (The sailor’s stories of fighting off sharks and
finding ancient treasures enthralled his young son.)
enthrall
enthrall (v.) to charm, hold spellbound (The sailor’s stories of fighting off sharks and
finding ancient treasures enthralled his young son.)
ephemeral
ephemeral (adj.) short-lived, fleeting (She promised she’d love me forever, but her
“forever” was only ephemeral: she left me after one week.)
epistolary
epistolary (adj.) relating to or contained in letters (Some people call me “Auntie’s boy,”
because my aunt and I have such a close epistolary relationship that we write each
other every day.)
equanimity
equanimity (n.) composure (Even though he had just been fired, Mr. Simms showed
great equanimity by neatly packing up his desk and wishing everyone in the office
well.)
equivocal
equivocal (adj.) ambiguous, uncertain, undecided (His intentions were so equivocal
that I didn’t know whether he was being chivalrous or sleazy.)
erudite
erudite (adj.) learned (My Latin teacher is such an erudite scholar that he has translated
some of the most difficult and abstruse ancient poetry.)
eschew
eschew (v.) to shun, avoid (George hates the color green so much that he eschews all
green food.)
esoteric
esoteric (adj.) understood by only a select few (Even the most advanced students
cannot understand the physicist’s esoteric theories.)
espouse
espouse (v.) to take up as a cause, support (I love animals so much that I espouse animal
rights.)
evanescent
evanescent (adj.) fleeting, momentary (My joy at getting promoted was evanescent
because I discovered that I would have to work much longer hours in a less friendly
office.)
evince
evince (v.) to show, reveal (Christopher’s hand-wringing and nail-biting evince how
nervous he is about the upcoming English test.)
exacerbate
exacerbate (v.) to make more violent, intense (The gruesome and scary movie I saw last
night exacerbated my fears of the dark.)
exasperate
exasperate (v.) to irritate, irk (George’s endless complaints exasperated his roomate.)
exculpate
exculpate (v.) to free from guilt or blame, exonerate (My discovery of the ring behind
the dresser exculpated me from the charge of having stolen it.)
excursion
excursion (n.) a trip or outing (After taking an excursion to the Bronx Zoo, I dreamed
about pandas and monkeys.)
execrable
execrable (adj.) loathsome, detestable (Her pudding is so execrable that it makes me
sick.)
exhort
exhort (v.) to urge, prod, spur (Henry exhorted his colleagues to join him in protesting
against the university’s hiring policies.)
exigent
exigent (adj.) urgent, critical (The patient has an exigent need for medication, or else he
will lose his sight.)
exorbitant
exorbitant (adj.) excessive (Her exorbitant praise made me blush and squirm in my
seat.)
expedient
expedient (adj.) advisable, advantageous, serving one’s self-interest (In his bid for
reelection, the governor made an expedient move by tabling all controversial
legislation.)
expiate
expiate (v.) to make amends for, atone (To expiate my selfishness, I gave all my profits to
charity.)
expunge
expunge (v.) to obliterate, eradicate (Fearful of an IRS investigation, Paul tried to
expunge all incriminating evidence from his tax files.)
expurgate
expurgate (v.) to remove offensive or incorrect parts, usually of a book (The history
editors expurgated from the text all disparaging and inflammatory comments about
the Republican Party.)
extant
extant (adj.) existing, not destroyed or lost (My mother’s extant love letters to my
father are in the attic trunk.)
extol
extol (v.) to praise, revere (Violet extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meatloving
brother.)
extraneous
extraneous (adj.) irrelevant, extra, not necessary (Personal political ambitions should
always remain extraneous to legislative policy, but, unfortunately, they rarely are.)